It is officially confirmed that the sharpshooter has been lifted and 2.7 million yuan per year. How should Stone make a decision?

So far, the Houston Rockets are missing a standard contract from the complete roster, but in terms of the current lineup, the point guard position is a bit stretched. Except for 31-year-old Van Vleet and 2024 rookie Shepard as normal rotations, the only one that can be used is firefighter Holiday. Such a combination played an "amazing performance" last season, with an assist-and-turnover ratio of 2.1, ranking third from the bottom in the league. For general manager Stone, his next operations are likely to not focus on strengthening them, and the specific reason is still due to salary issues.

Rockets management used 3 years to sign Finney Smith and 16 million in the middle class to introduce veteran center Capela in two years to get a bargaining Okogie and renewed the contract with Van Jordan, Adams, and Jabarri Smith Jr. This series of operations directly led to the team's future salary space explosion. The team's salary next season has exceeded the luxury tax trigger line, and is only more than 1 million US dollars away from the first tycoon line, which has led to the management being unable to strengthen it wildly. However, there are more troubles to follow. According to salary expert Bobby Marks, if you want to renew Ethan and Amen Thompson at the same time in 2026, the Rockets' total salary will exceed the luxury tax line of $23 million.

Although he achieved the second regular season record in the Western Conference last season, he was eliminated early in the playoffs, directly causing Rockets boss Fertitta to be unwilling to spend huge amounts of money and pay luxury taxes, which means that Stone gave up Jaylen Green and pursued Durant's operation and had to hand over a satisfactory report card in the new season. However, all wishes are not so easy to realize. Looking at the offseason, except Houston, the other Western Conference strong teams are also strengthening. The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder not only retained the championship lineup, but also gained a lot in the draft. As for the biggest potential opponent, the Denver Nuggets are the ones. After a "big blood change", the team management team's helpers around the teacher have become more reliable. In addition, the depth of the substitute lineup is also worth looking forward to. For the Rockets to spend 52 million yuan to build a luxurious inside lineup, I am afraid that Jokic, who faces three MVP winners, will have to suffer a silence. After all, the most fundamental gap between the two sides is not in the inside, but in the center players' ability to pass the ball after attracting double-teams and the stability of the outside shooter. The joining of Cameron Johnson and Hardaway Jr. will not go into details, but the Rockets' outside line has not been substantially strengthened, and such a result may cause an imbalance in the lineup. The most urgent task at the moment depends on Stone's choice to see if he is willing to gamble for the championship. According to Shams Charania, a well-known NBA reporter, Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley has been clarified by the federal investigative agency. Previously, due to the counterfeiting storm, he missed a big contract. Now, as a free agent, he may only be a reinforcement for other teams. Although he averaged 16.3 points per game with the Pistons last season, the most outstanding one was his terrifying projection. The three-point shooting percentage is as high as an astonishing 41.6%, and the output is amazing, with 319 hits in a single season, second only to No. 1 pick Edwards.

At the same time, Beasley's playing characteristics are perfect with the Rockets at this stage. As a forward player, he not only does not occupy too much ball rights, but also can effectively open up the field space for the team with his superb shooting ability. He can fully display his strong strength around Shinkyung, Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant. Although the Indiana Pacers are interested in recruiting the experienced veteran, the contract worth 2.7 million yuan is really speculating whether Stone is willing to give a matching offer. After all, the most difficult problem for the team at present is the lack of depth in the back line.